Organic Glitter

Updated on June 23rd, 2026

🌎 The world is facing a major issue with plastic pollution, and ​glitter has contributed to microplastic pollution on the planet. Scientists call for a ban on plastic glitter globally!

Europe is getting closer to that: Issued under the European chemical legislation REACH, the Commission’s proposal follows the European Chemicals Agency’s findings that microplastics pose a risk to the environment that is not adequately controlled.

According to ECHA, Exposure to microplastics in laboratory studies has been linked to a range of negative (eco)toxic and physical effects on living organisms. Once in the environment, microplastics do not biodegrade. They accumulate in animals, including fish and shellfish, and are consequently also consumed as food by humans.

Conventional Glitter 

Avoid Conventional ‘Plastic’ glitter: defined as a microplastic made of plastic and aluminum that takes hundreds of years to degrade in natural environments.
There is an estimate of billions of microplastic particles flushed down the drain every day, and 51 trillion microplastic particles in the world’s oceans, rivers, and waterways! 🐢 Yes, glitter, like microbeads, is an ecological hazard that is found in one-third of all fish, coral, and crabs!  🐠

Avoid conventional glitter products, glittery cards, wrapping paper, or anything that contains conventional glitter because we know where they end up! For this reason during the holidays, skip any products with plastic glitter and luster, including the packaging!

Traditional plastic glitter is also toxic to our bodies. I don’t recommend buying them or applying glittery makeup, especially on your lips, since it can be ingested! 

Plastic (synthetic) glitter: is cheaper than bio-glitter. Plastic is a petroleum-derived, cheap, toxic material. Avoid it! 

Not Biodegradable: Plastic glitter takes thousands of years!

Marina Life: this microplastic harm the marine and wild life. That means that if a fish or other marine animal consumes it, it remains in the animal and accumulating in the the food chain consumed by humans.

Greenwashing Glitter 

Avoid Greenwashing glitter made by brands that pretend to be eco-friendly, sustainable, non-toxic when they are not. They will use their misleading marketing tricks to convince you to buy their products.

 

  • Fake eco-friendly glitter: they are not biodegradable
  • Unproven claims: Beware of companies selling products labeled as biodegradable unless they can show proven details and testing of the products.
  • Compostable glitter is not the same as biodegradable. Compostable glitter does not biodegrade in nature and is still a micro-pollution hazard. Misleading claims contribute to global pollution. 🐬
  • Glitter mix: bio glitter mixed with plastic glitter
  • Not hexagon shape: greenwashing

Certiifed Biodegradable Glitter

🌿Bio-glitter®  (eco glitter) is the world’s first naturally biodegradable glitter that biodegrades naturally in wastewater! 💎 Created by a British company, with natural materials. Independently tested and proven to degrade naturally in waterways like sewers, lakes, landfills, and oceans. 

 

Bio-glitter® Material: plant-based, made of modified regenerated eucalyptus cellulose and becomes food for the same organisms that break down waste products. Bio-glitter® is also 40% softer than regular plastic glitter.

Biodegradation: Biodegrades 90% in nature in just 30 days. In a sewer, lake, or river, it will biodegrade in a matter of weeks. This process is faster when the environment is warmer, wetter, and has more hungry microbes present. 🐠🐙🐚 It is ok  if a speck of glitter is eaten by fish or marine life: the Certified Biodegradable Bio-glitter® is also suitable for anaerobic digestion. 

Freshwater test: certified that it is biodegradable in soil, wastewater, freshwater, and other similar conditions that are representative of the natural environment in which there is a significantly higher probability that glitter will be found after use. They passed the test in Oceans and Seas, Lakes and rivers, Soil and shower/bath water, Garden compost heap, and collected compost bin, and most of their biodegradable content was biodegraded in less than 4 weeks!!

Certifications: Bio-glitter® is the only glitter on the market that carries biodegradability in cosmetic glitter certification. 

  • Freshwater test: Bio-certified, and they passed the Biodegradable testing on test samples using the ISO 14851 and 14852 methods for freshwater biodegradation testing showed a 90% biodegradation in 30 days, meeting the certification requirements.
  • OK Biodegradable WATER Certification: from TUV Austria, TUV Logo Serial No. S0933
  • OECD 301F test: readily biodegradable, 93% biodegradation in 28 days. (readily biodegradable pass =>60%)

 

bio glitter certiifcation

 

The Best Sustainable Glitter 

The best sustainable and eco-friendly glitter is made with non-toxic, plastic-free, biodegradable materials. And most importantly they are certiifed! 

 

  • Third-party certification: Certified Bioglitter passed the freshwater test 
  • Independent tests by OWS: a world-leading company in the biodegradability and compostability testing of products and materials.
  • Hexagon shape: ALL of Bio-Glitters are cut into hexagon shapes
  • Plant-based: eucalyptus cellulose 

🌿 Bio-glitter® characteristics:

  • ✅ Certification from TUV Austria
  • ✅ 100% biodegradable: biodegrades 90% in nature in just 30 days.
  • ✅ Plastic-free
  • ✅ Aluminum-free
  • ✅ Plant-based glitter
  • ✅ Non-Toxic
  • ✅ Heavy metal-free
  • ✅ 40% softer than plastic glitter
  • ✅ free of 14 common allergens

🌿 Bio-glitter® applications:

To apply loose glitter on your skin, you can use any organic oils such as coconut oil, jojoba oil, or organic aloe vera

  • Cosmetics: body, face, Hair, and nails. Daily Makeup, festival makeup
  • Bath: soaps, bath bombs, lotions, body gels, masks, and scrubs
  • Crafts: tumblers, painting, kids’ projects, flowers, slime, projects, fairy gardens, tumblers, clothing, candles, and wax melts
  • Horticulture is used to spray or sprinkle on plants and flowers.
  • Clothing applications such as screen printing, fabrics, and drop printing.
  • Gift applications such as greeting cards, wrapping paper, and bows.
  • Industrial use in indoor and outdoor paints, tile, grout, and countertops

The Best Plastic-free Glitter Brands

  • 🌿 The Good Glitter  10% off promo code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL. It is one of the very few brands in the US to be certified Bio-glitter® 
  • 🌿 Lauren Brooke 15% off code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL 
  • 🌿 Natural Earth Paint 10% off code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL 

 

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